Yes, you can eat runny eggs when pregnant. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says that British Lion eggs can safely be eaten runny or raw in pregnancy.
This is great news for pregnant women, as eggs are one of the most naturally nutritious foods around, and a runny boiled or poached egg on toast is an ideal quick meal in all stages of pregnancy.
At the time of the salmonella and eggs scare in 1988, the Department of Health recommended that recipes for uncooked dishes involving raw eggs should be avoided, and that lightly cooked eggs should not be served to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women. This advice, however, pre-dated the introduction of the British Lion scheme in 1998.
The Food Standards Agency reviewed its advice in 2017 and has now confirmed that British Lion eggs can safely be eaten runny, even by pregnant women, babies and elderly people. Read the full details of the latest FSA advice on runny eggs.
Eggs are an ideal food for pregnant women. They are one of the most nutritious foods available and contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals, many of which are particularly important for pregnant women, so can help them achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
Eggs are naturally rich in vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12, vitamin D, selenium and iodine. They also contain vitamin A and a number of other B vitamins including folate, biotin and pantothenic acid, as well as the nutrient choline, and other essential minerals and trace elements, including phosphorus.
Folate is particularly important during pregnancy as it contributes to the division of cells and therefore to tissue growth. You can find more information on these nutrients here.
So pregnant women can get all the nutritional benefits of eating eggs while enjoying a soft-cooked boiled, poached or fried egg, as long as it has the British Lion mark on.
If you are a health professional, you can find out more about egg consumption in pregnancy and infant diets in the Journal of Health Visiting.
Why you can trust this page
All information checked by an independent Registered Nutritionist/Dietitian. The egginfo.co.uk website is provided by the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC). BEIC is recognised by Government and Parliament as the representative voice of the UK egg industry.